


Crash Landing

by flightlesscas



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-15 11:25:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4604925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightlesscas/pseuds/flightlesscas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione flees from her home and friends after a terrible accident. She finds herself in an unfamiliar place, where she knew nobody would go looking. The chances of her meeting with anyone from her past in this new life are minute.  </p><p>But by the smallest of odds, she crashes into a familiar blond. Far from metaphorically, she literally crashes into him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

She had to get away.

She had to run.

It was her fault.

_All her fault._

She couldn't protect him.

God, she tried. She really did.

But it wasn't enough.

He had died in her arms as she cried.

She sobbed by his side 'til his last breath.

There was nothing she could do.

 

**I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop it. It's all my fault.**

**-H**

 

She scribbled the note, furiously wiping at her tears, and attached it to her broomstick.

It was charmed to fly without her.

She couldn't show her face to them,

not after what she'd done.

They'd hate her.

At least with her far away, they didn't have to remember each time they looked at her.

"I'm so sorry," she cried again, into his shirt.

It was time to let go.

Hermione watched as he flew away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

What did she do to deserve this?

She never found out,

because she fled.

Far, far away.

Where nobody would find for her.

Or at least,

she hoped.


	2. Chapter 1

Nightmares. It was always nightmares. She couldn't escape them. Ever since that night, three years ago. It had haunted her, day and night. She remembered the events that took place all too well. She shuddered, she always regretted even thinking about her past, which meant nightmares were awful. She managed to pull herself from the warmth of her covers after glancing at her clock and cursing. She was going to be late.

Hermione Granger, smartest witch of her generation, one third of the Golden Trio, could never be late to anything. At least, that's who she used to be. She had a new life now, a clean slate. She was just ordinary, average Hermione Jean. She wasn't a witch, or at least, not to anyone else's knowledge. She worked as a waitress in a café, and she was the most normal twenty-one year old you could imagine. She was still the nerdy bookworm, but she didn't read 'A History of Magic' or 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. She read things like 'Pride and Prejudice', the Muggle stuff. 

At first it was hard to fully intergrade into the Muggle world. Sure, she had had a non-magical childhood until she was eleven, but it was harder to go back after everything that happened. After the accident. 

Once she had gotten dressed and quickly made herself a single slice of toast, Hermione headed out. She slung her bag over her shoulder as she bit into her toast and locked her apartment door. She briskly walked the few blocks to the little corner café that she'd been working at for the last year or so, greeting her friend Kira on the way in. Behind the counter, she tied on an apron pulled her hair up into a low bun. 

"Anything new, Mione?" Kira asked, leaning over the counter. Hermione shook her head in answer. Her friend just rolled her eyes. "Come on, I've known you for what? A year, now? Nothing ever goes on with you! No boys, no fun, nothing!"

Hermione shrugged, laughing. "I guess I just don't have a very interesting life." She started stocking up the little window with various kinds of cakes and sandwiches. 

If only you knew me before. 

"Whatever," Kira said, rolling her eyes before darting them over to the door as the little bell rang, indicating a customer had entered. She went over to him and took his order while Hermione was still busy. 

Once she had come back with the order, she squealed quietly. "He was gorgeous!" She told her friend. 

"And what about Danny?" Hermione raised an eyebrow questioningly, as she made the black coffee on the order slip. 

Kira waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you know I only have eyes for Danny. Doesn't mean I can't find others good looking." As Hermione was pouring the coffee into a mug, she got an idea. "How about you go take it to him," she suggested, hinting that maybe it would spark something between them. 

"Whatever, just make yourself useful, okay?" Hermione sighed as Kira nodded enthusiastically. She rolled her eyes as she looked over at the customer. 

He had his back to her, but his hair was unmistakably blond, and he was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. She didn't know what was so 'gorgeous' about him yet but she doubted he was anything special. Kira always tried to get her interested in a guy and it never worked. 

She walked over to him, looking down at the mug in her hands, careful not to spill any. Although she really should've been looked up. 

Hermione collided with the stranger, who had stood up for whatever reason, perhaps to go to the bathroom. The expression on her face was one of pure shock. She couldn't believe that just happened. 

Not only did she get hot, dark coffee on her hands and apron, but she spilt it all of the customer's... white shirt. Brown stains were starting to form and Hermione was frantic. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She squealed, quickly grabbing a handful of napkins off a nearby table and dabbing at the man's shirt. She was so embarrassed, not even daring to look up at the guy.

"Granger?" 

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. He caught her wrist in his hand, moving it away from his shirt slightly, but not letting go. 

What had he called her? Granger? How did he know her real name?

She slowly looked up, suddenly very afraid. If this man knew her real name, it meant he was a wizard. She hadn't been in contact with another wizard for three years, and she certainly didn't want to start now. 

"M-Malfoy?" She asked in shock. 

Standing tall above her, was a familiar face. Draco Malfoy. 

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked, recoiling away from him, even though he still had a grip on her arm. 

"That's none of your concern," he scoffed, in his usual Malfoy way. He looked down at his hand holding her and quickly let go. 

"No need to be rude," Hermione sneered, disgusted that she had actually cared about his shirt. Now that she looked at it, the stains accented the shirt very nicely. "Can you leave now?" She demanded, although it came out much more like a question. 

"No, you owe me a new coffee," he said blandly. He looked down at his ruined shirt and sighed. As his gaze lifted to Hermione with her arms crossed stubbornly, he sighed again. "Please?" He tried. She huffed about it but she left anyway. He sat back down in his seat, wondering what on earth Hermione Granger was doing working at a Muggle shop. 

"Ooh, I see you two really hit it off," Kira said sarcastically as Hermione got behind the counter to make a new mug of coffee. "By the way, Granger? What's that all about?"

Hermione's hands stilled momentarily, before she remembered that she wasn't supposed to know who this guy was. She shrugged her shoulders. "No idea, he's weird."

"But cute," Kira said, tilting her head to the side, looking across the store at him. He was reading the newspaper but strangely, it looked like the pictures were all moving. No, they couldn't be. She rubbed her eyes, blaming her tiredness for seeing odd things. 

Once Hermione had finished making the new order, she carried it over to Malfoy, careful not to spill it. She set it down on the table in front of him. She glanced at the paper in his hands, before quickly looking away, not wanting to be involved in the Wizarding world, although she was itching to know just what had happened in the past few years...

"Where have you been, Granger?" 

"What?" Hermione's thoughts snapped back to the present. "I've been here." She admitted, though she probably shouldn't've. 

"Out in the Muggle world?" She nodded. "All on your own?" Another nod. "Wow."

Hermione frowned, crossing her arms. "And what's so surprising about that? You don't think I can manage myself out here?"

"No, no, it's just that... I never thought you, the brightest witch of our generation," he said mockingly. "Would end up out here. What happened?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." She spun around and marched straight back to the counter, where she could busy herself with things that didnt't have anything to do with wizards or Draco Malfoy. 

"Just my luck," she muttered to herself as she slid a muffin onto the shelf.


	3. Chapter 2

It had been three days since Draco first came into the little café. He'd been there every day since. The same time, too. Always 10:30 in the morning, on the dot. Hermione thought this was odd. Why did he keep coming in after he found out she worked there? Maybe he was informing all his Slytherin wizard mates about her and how she was living a Muggle life, something they frowned upon.

To Hermione, Malfoy was always the boy who threw countless insults her way. The most offensive being _mudblood_ , one he liked to use too often for her liking. She knew there was nothing wrong with actually being a Muggle-born wizard, but just the fact that it had become something of an insult made her _furious_. Malfoy would always be that guy who made fun of you for the way you walked, or talked, or how your hair looked. He was the boy she punched in the face in third year for being such a _massive prick._

But why did he keep coming to her work? Why did he sit in that same seat, at the same time, every day? Hermione couldn't wrap her head around it, she had no clue what he was up to.

"Go talk to him," Kira nudged her with her elbow, gesturing over to Malfoy with a tilt of her head. Hermione scoffed.

"No way," she said, shaking her head. So he could be a jerk to her? She didn't think so.

"Well he looks ready to order and I'm going to the loo so you should probably go take his order," Kira said in a matter-of-fact tone before she spun around to go to the restroom. Hermione rolled her eyes. She hadn't spoken to Malfoy since the first day, making her friend get his orders from then on. She supposed it was her job...

"Can I get you anything?" She asked dully as she walked to his table. She looked at him boredly as he glanced up at her in surprise that she was talking to him.

"Uh, yeah. Standard black coffee and a chocolate chip muffin," he said with a nod before going back to his paper. When Hermione didn't move, but stood with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, he felt uncomfortable under her stare.

"What?"

"I'm not getting you anything until you use manners."

"Ugh, fine. Can I _please_ have a standard black coffee and a chocolate chip muffin. _Thanks_."

"Whatever." Hermione walked away to prepare the order. Malfoy had hardly changed a bit. He was still the annoying, mannerless boy she knew at Hogwarts. Some things she didn't miss about her time in the Wizarding world.

When she walked back over to him with his food and beverage, she sat down in the chair opposite, looking at him expectantly. He kept reading his paper. Typical.

"Can I help you, Granger?" He didn't look up.

"Stop calling me that."

"Why? That's your name, isn't it?"

Hermione grimaced. "Not anymore." Why was she even telling him that? It was none of his business; but it caught Draco's attention.

"Oh?" He looked up from the article and raised an eyebrow at her. "And why's that?"

"None of your business," she answered stubbornly, folding her arms over chest and leaning back in her chair with a little huff.

"Granger, must I remind you that it was not I who brought it up, but you?" Hermione looked over her shoulder at Kira, who was reading a magazine behind the corner, not giving any sign that she could hear the conversation.

"Fine. If you must know," she began, and he nodded. "I go by Hermione Jean now. Since I starting living in the Muggle world."

"Ah that's right." She gave him a puzzled look. What's right? "I remember now; reading about the famous Hermione Granger, disappearing completely. Not a trace of her, no goodbyes to her friends or family. I remember reading about you after the Second Wizarding War." Now he looked at her with expectantly, silently asking for an explanation.

Hermione suddenly grew very quiet. She wasn't about to indulge Malfoy with her darkest secret, but it didn't mean she wasn't thinking about it. About how broken she felt after the accident, how she forced herself to leave behind everything she had come to love, including her best friends and her parents.

"Well?"

"You should know, if you were there after the war. I'm sure it wasn't kept too quiet at Hogwarts," Hermione scoffed, unbelieving that Malfoy was really trying to get her to talk about what happened. What an arse.

Hermione noticed Malfoy's expression falter but he regained his composure quickly. If she hadn't been paying attention to him, she would've completely missed it.

He didn't say anything, which surprised her because usually the first thing that'd come out of his mouth would be some smart-arse and totally ignorant remark. When none came, Hermione was confused. She would've questioned it but it was clear he didn't want to talk to her anymore because he had picked up his paper again. She rolled her eyes. Still as rude as ever, he was.

She got up and left him to his own devices. After that conversation, she was now wondering what had happened after she left. She knew Voldemort was gone, that much she had picked up on, but she had no idea how. Hermione's face fell. She didn't even know who else had died during the war. For all she knew, Harry could've died along with the Dark Lord. She began to panic. What if he didn't make it?

Her mind was reeling, showing her awful scenarios depicting her best friend's death. She couldn't take it, not knowing. She turned back around and headed back to Malfoy.

"Back again so soon, love?" Oh, he knew just how to infuriate her, didn't he? Hermione wasn't taking any of it. She needed answers.

"Is Harry dead?" She blurted out anxiously. He looked up from the paper, raising an eyebrow at her sudden and unexpected question.

"Potter? Yes," he said simply.

Hermione felt her world shatter. Harry Potter had died and she didn't even know. The boy who had been her friend since she was eleven. Dead. The Boy Who Lived, gone. Malfoy must've seen the pained expression on her face because he laughed. If looks could kill, he'd be on the ground without a pulse. "I'm just kidding, Granger. Potter's fine, he's with She-Weasley."

If she had her wand, she would've cast the killing curse on him in a heartbeat for that. Instead, she went for the next best thing and punched him in the arm as hard as she could, earning herself a glare.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" He asked, rubbing his arm. "That'll be a bruise!"

"I don't care," Hermione spat. "That was for being such a dick."

"Now, now, Granger. Mind your blood pressure," Malfoy smirked.

"I told you not to call me that," she said through gritted teeth. God, she hated him so much.


	4. Chapter 3

"The usual?"

"The usual."

It had become a daily routine between Hermione and Malfoy. Every day, he'd come in at 10:30am and sit at the table in the corner. Then she'd go over to him for his order, which was always black coffee and a chocolate muffin. 

"You're going to get fat with all these muffins," Hermione told him. 

He put a hand over his belly. "That's something I'm willing to live with," he said, earning himself an eye roll and chuckle from her. They weren't friends, but she could now tolerate him, whereas she couldn't before. It seemed as if the war really had changed everyone, Draco Malfoy included. 

When she came back with his order, he handed her his newspaper. She looked at him, puzzled. 

"I just though, uh, you'd like to read up on what's happening in the world," he shrugged, eyes flickering over to Kira to make sure she wasn't listening. 

Hermione was taken aback. He was lending her his paper? Why was he being so nice?

"Uh, thanks?" She took it from him and sat in the seat opposite him. The café was always fairly quiet at this time so she could afford to read the paper, to her delight. 

After staring at the front cover's moving picture for what seemed like hours, Hermione felt such a longing for her old life; the one with magic and adventure. It had been three years since she left and after the initial scariness of the change wore off, she hadn't felt like this since. She was missing it. 

She flicked through the pages, looking for something interesting. Most of the articles were about something the Ministry was doing or false accusations and scandalising innocent people. That was just the way the media was, in the Wizarding and Muggle worlds alike. 

After flipping through a few more sheets, something did spark her interest. It was a grainy picture of someone who looked extremely familiar. 

"Oh look, It's you!" Hermione grinned up at Draco, pointing to the picture. She didn't know what the article was about, and she didn't end up finding out because he snatched it away from her, all colour drained from his face. Hermione frowned, unsure if he was angry or upset with her or the news article. 

"You don't need to read that," he told her. She was confused, why did he care? It was probably about him being famous or something. Maybe he became a famous Quidditch player like he always boasted he would back at Hogwarts. 

"What's it about?" She asked curiously. The picture she saw had barely moved and it looked out of focus, as if the person taking it was hiding from Malfoy. Perhaps Draco had no idea his photograph was being taken and accompanied by a newspaper article. 

"Just... after the war. You know, stuff." Hermione had never seen Malfoy look so uneasy and... distressed?

"Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely worried for him. She hadn't known him to be someone who stressed about things so the fact that he was actually concerned her. 

"N-yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Let's talk about something else," he said quickly.

"Um, o-kay, what do you want to talk about?" 

Draco sighed. "Anything, Granger. Anything."

"How about, what are you doing out here in the Muggle world?" Hermione asked with genuine curiosity. Since that first day she spilt coffee on him she couldn't stop wondering why he had suddenly showed up in not only the Muggle world, but in her life. 

He shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing." 

"But I asked you first."

"Fine, fine." He gave his coffee a sip. "I just wanted to get away from it all, you know? Sometimes it's all a bit much." Hermione nodded, knowing how he felt. "What about you?"

She didn't know how to answer. No way was she going to tell him that someone died because of her. No, that was something she'd never tell anyone. Ever. 

"Same," she replied simply. "I guess the war was just too much for me." It surprised her how easily she lied. Truthfully, the war was dark and cold but she was a strong girl, she could've gotten through it. But of course, then came the accident and everything was all over. She became undone, unable to continue. She turned into a coward, running away from her problems instead of fighting. Hermione hated herself for it.

"What happened?" She asked quietly. He gave her a quizzical look, not understanding exactly what she was asking. "I mean, at the end of the war. How did he.. you know, die?" 

Draco's eyes cast downwards, unable to meet her gaze. "The horcruxes, they were all destroyed. Longbottom killed the snake, Potter duelled with him. In the end, they both died but Potter came back," he told her. It had been years, but he still couldn't say his name. It left such a disgusting taste in his mouth whenever he tried. 

"Who died?" Hermione asked softly. It was such a sore topic for both of them, even if neither knew what the other went through. 

"Dumbledore, Snape," he began to list the casualties of the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione's face getting sadder and sadder with each name. "Brown, Crabbe, Creevey, Lupin, Tonks and —" He stopped abruptly and stood up. Malfoy started to gather his things, completely confusing Hermione. 

"What? Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Why? Who else died, Malfoy?" 

He looked at her with such pain in his eyes that she felt like nothing good would ever come out of his mouth again. She had stood up just after he had, grabbing onto his arm to stop him from leaving. 

"Who else?" She asked pleadingly. She needed to know. 

"I thought you'd be better off not knowing." He looked at her. She expected to see pity in his eyes but all that was there was sympathy and sorrow. "The Weasleys," he said. "They lost three."

Hermione's heart stopped. What?

"Ron, Ginny and Fred." 

Her breathing started to accelerate, her heart beating out of control. What? Ron, Ginny and Fred had died? She felt like the world was spinning and tears were blurring her eyes. She felt so broken inside at hearing this news. Hermione gripped Malfoy's arm, trying to hold herself up. She staggered backwards, unable to breathe properly. 

"Hermione? Are you alright?" He asked her. What a stupid question. _Of course_ she wasn't alright. She shook her head, tears now streaming down her cheeks. 

Draco didn't know what to do. She was clutching his arm and sobbing, which was all his fault. He shouldn't have said anything. Afterall, he knew she'd be upset. That's why he hadn't said it the first time. 

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to her but he didn't think she could hear him. She staggered backwards again, her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Or at least, she would've if he hadn't've caught her. 

Malfoy had slid his arms around her, catching her before she could hit the ground. He pulled her up, holding her close. Hermione put her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. He should've minded but strangely enough, he didn't. Instead, he gently stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. It was a good thing he was the only customer in the shop. He knew she'd be embarrassed. 

"All my fault," she cried. Shaking her head and looking up at her. "It's all my fault." It was as if she was trying to convince him that was she said was true. It wasn't, he knew that. 

"No, no. Shhh, none of it was your fault," he cooed, moving to sit her down on a chair as she cried into her hands. He knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his. "You didn't do anything," he told her. She stared at him with such pain in her eyes that he could feel his own heart breaking. 

" _Exactly_ ," she said with a sniff. Another tear rolled down her cheek, but he caught it with his thumb. What did she mean, exactly? It couldn't have been her fault. 

Something must've clicked in Hermione's brain because she suddenly yanked her hands free from him and wiped furiously at her tears. 

"I'm fine," she told him, as if he had accused her of not being. "I've got a job to do." 

She stood up quickly and walked away from him, leaving Malfoy dumbfounded and staring out after her.


	5. Chapter 4

Hermione came in late the next day. She had so much on her mind that she had completely forgotten that she needed to get to work in five minutes. She had quickly rushed around then travelled to work in an almost jog. Her nightmares were getting worse. They were relentless, torturing her in her sleep. She never thought being awake would be her safe haven, but it was. It scared her, how vivid her dreams seemed. It was as if she was reliving her memories, but all the Weasley's and their deaths were making appearances. She was exhausted by the time she got to the café.

"Woah, you look like shit," Kira told her with a sympathetic look.

"Thanks," Hermione grumbled in reply. She tied on her apron, getting ready for a long day.

She looked around the little shop to find Malfoy was already there. Someone else was, too, leaning onto his table in front of him. She watched them for a moment. He had a smile on his face as he talked, and the girl was throwing her head back, laughing. Wait a minute - Draco Malfoy was smiling? That was a sight she'd never seen before, not counting the malicious smirks he would give her back at Hogwarts.

"Who the fuck is that?" Hermione asked Kira. She didn't mean to curse, it just happened. She felt something strange inside her, seeing someone else talk to Draco. It felt like only she was allowed to talk to him, because they had known each other for so long and they were both wizards. Who _was_ this Muggle girl?

"Oh, that's Rani. She's new, boss' niece," her friend nodded over to the girl. Hermione didn't know how to feel about this information. A new employee? When did this happen? She decided just to ignore them. It's not like she and Malfoy were friends. Quite the opposite, in fact, even if he did witness her breaking down the previous day. She had good reason to, finding out her closest friends were dead.

Hermione began making his usual of black coffee, as she had noticed that the new girl, Rani, still hadn't managed to get his order. Too busy flirting, she scoffed to herself, rolling her eyes. When the coffee finished brewing, she walked over to the pair, mug in hand. She placed it in front of him, not bothering to look at either of them, and began to walk away when she heard a loud gasp.

"You must be Hermione!" The girl squealed. It was almost as if she was shouting. "It's such a pleasure to meet her. I've heard lots about you from Kira and Draco, here." She beamed at her, making Hermione want to gag. She seemed so fake, but she didn't think she was lying. What had Malfoy said about her? She looked at him expectantly.

"Just telling her about when we went to school together," he gave her a mocking smile. To anyone that didn't know him, they'd probably think he was being genuine. "Best years of our lives, huh?"

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. Her years spent at Hogwarts were some of the best of her life, but considering Voldemort had come back and the Second Wizarding War had begun, they really could've been much better. Plus, Malfoy had made sure her life was a living hell when there wasn't issues with You-Know-Who. What was he playing at?

"Yes, they sure were," she smiled at him, batting her eyelids innocently. She didn't know what he was playing at, but she was determined to go along with it, not letting him win.

"Ah, we even dated for a while back in fifth year," Malfoy said, glancing upwards as if he was reminiscing about good times. If Hermione had a drink, she would've just spat it out. He looked at her then with such a daring smile, as if to ask her whether or not she'd really play this game. Against her better judgement, she decided she would.

"Oh that's right, we did too. How long was it? Four months?" She smiled back at him. Rani kept looking back and forth between them, slightly confused but she got over it quickly.

"That's _sooo_ cute!" She clasped her hands together excitedly. Hermione just nodded, still grinning, and turned to head back to the counter. As soon as her face was out of their view, her expression changed to a scowl. What the hell did she just get herself into?

"You _dated_ him?" Kira asked as soon as she got back, with one eyebrow raised. Hermione rolled her eyes again - something she seemed to be doing a lot when it came to Malfoy.

"Shut up," she told her friend, though she knew it was useless. Kira had never had a glimpse at her love life until now, even if it was false. She would definitely bug Hermione until she got information out of her. Problem was, there was no information. She couldn't go along with the idea that she dated Malfoy in school if she admitted she hated his guts and he bullied her relentlessly. No, that would never work. Telling Kira that it was a lie was also not an option. Her friend would simply not believe her.

"So, what was he like back then? As good looking as he is now?" She asked, eyeing Malfoy from across the room. Hermione swore she sometimes forgot about her boyfriend Danny, even if they had been together for the past two and a half years.

"Oh yeah, he was gorgeous. All the girls wanted him. I was just the lucky one who did get him." Hermione internally cringed at her words, not believing they had come out of her own mouth. She saw Malfoy look over at them, the smirk playing on his lips told her that he had heard what she said. _Dammit. Look what he does, showing up in my life after three years and then ruining it!_

She was suddenly very aware that the not-so-quiet conversation between Malfoy and Rani had ceased, and the petite Indian girl was back at the counter. Hermione noted that she didn't tie up her hair or wear her apron properly. She wondered if she would get into trouble or if it was a perk of being related to the boss. Whatever the reason was, she didn't actually care.

"He's so lovely!" Rani exclaimed. Kira grinned and nodded, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. "Why ever did you two break up?"

Hermione didn't know how to answer. A lie as an explanation couldn't come quick enough so she opted for changing the subject.

"Oh, look. I forgot to get his muffin. If you'll excuse me," she said as she quickly plated a chocolate muffin. She hurried over to him, wanting to avoid as much of the awkward conversation of her fake previous relationship with the blond-haired man. Setting the plate down, she glared at him.

"So I guess we're exes now," he smirked up at her. "Never thought I'd go out with Hermione Granger."

"You're an insufferable jerk, you know that?"

"You never let me forget."

Hermione groaned. Couldn't he just leave her alone?


	6. Chapter 5

That morning, Hermione woke up after a different kind of nightmare. Instead of reliving her memories, she dreamt of Draco Malfoy. It wasn't particularly scary, although the idea of dreaming about Malfoy was terrifying in itself. She called it a nightmare but truthfully, it was quite the opposite. She had envisioned exactly the lie they spun the previous day at the café.

She couldn't remember the whole dream, but some of it came back to her in bits and pieces. The part she remembered most vividly, however, was her fifteen year-old self holding hands with Malfoy, both with wide smiles on their faces. He was laughing, something she was sure she never actually heard him do during their real time at Hogwarts.

Hermione had woken up just before he kissed her. Her heart was beating fast and her breaths were coming out fast and short. She couldn't believe she had just dreamt about being with Malfoy. The mere thought sent shudders down her spine. Deciding to take a cold shower to get rid of the odd feeling that she had, Hermione swung her legs out of bed and her bare feet padded over to the tiny bathroom.

Her apartment wasn't particularly big. No, the better word to describe it would be tiny. She could almost stand in the middle of her bedroom and touch all walls. There was enough room for her bed and a small dresser. The lounge connected with her kitchen, which contained a small fridge, a stove, sink and microwave. Her lounge consisted of a comfortable couch and a broken fireplace, which she needed to use magic to actually get it to work. It wasn't much, but it was home. Her home.

Getting into the shower, she left the temperature half way between hot and cold. It came out lukewarm, just what she needed to get her mind off that dream. She couldn't figure out why she Malfoy would visit her in her dreams. She didn't like him, they weren't friends (past or present) and she certainly did detest him. With that stupid blond hair he always used to gel back and that dumb sneer every time he called her a mudblood.

Goddamn, that word still made her _mad_.

Although he did look a lot better now. That thought made her laugh as she realised that Draco Malfoy dressed like a muggle. Honestly, if she hadn't seen him herself she would never believe it.

Hermione really did wonder why he was braving the muggle world. He was the last person she would ever think would shy away from magic and wizards. Maybe something had happened after she left, something that involved him. Although she did see him in that newspaper article. Hermione was a bright girl, but she didn't have enough information to figure this one out.

After showering and getting dressed in a plain cream sweater and black jeans, she made her way down the few blocks to work. She seemed to be in a good mood. Compared to usual, anyway. She hoped Draco would come in at ten-thirty like he usually did. She wanted to talk to him about everything that happened after she ran away. She promised herself she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't.

"Hermione!" A voice called out as soon as she stepped inside the café. She didn't recognise it, so it clearly didn't come from Kira.

"Oh hi, Rani." It was the new girl. "By the way, call me Mione. Hermione's a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?" To be honest, she much preferred her full name but living in the muggle world meant sacrificing some things to fit in.

"Okay," the Indian girl shrugged. "I love your name though, it's so pretty." Hermione couldn't help but smile at that. She had really only met this girl the previous day but she was beginning to like her. At first she seemed so fake, like she tried too hard to be nice but now it was clear that's just how her personality was. She was a nice person. If she went to Hogwarts, she'd be a Hufflepuff. Hermione had no doubt about that.

She tied her apron on and began her daily routine of stocking up the displays and the fridge. Honestly, she kept glancing at the clock every ten or so minutes. She hated to admit it, but she was waiting for Malfoy to show up. Something wasn't right with him. While cleaning tables she had realised that no, there was no way he just decided to join the muggles. He hated muggles with a burning passion, which was no secret to anyone.

Just as Hermione was wiping up a coffee spill, she heard the little bell at the door which told them a customer had come in. Looking up at the clock once more, she smiled to herself when she realised it was ten-thirty. She didn't want to seem eager to talk to him, because she wasn't, so she finished cleaning before heading over to his table.

"Usual?" She asked him. He just nodded, staying quiet with his head down. She frowned a little. She expected him to bustle in with that signature smirk of his and make some smart-arse comment. "Are you alright?"

To her surprise, he sighed and shook his head slightly. Usually, he would just brush it off and pretend nothing was bothering him.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday," Malfoy said quietly, looking up at her with a small frown. She was taken aback. Did Draco Malfoy just apologise to her?

"Uh, sorry for what exactly?"

"You know, the whole 'we dated at school' thing." That made Hermione laugh.

"Don't worry about it. You and I both know that didn't happen." She crinkled up her nose, chuckling again at the mere thought of the pair of them dating instead of hating each others' guts. Suddenly, she remembered why she was so anxious to talk to him. She slid into the chair across from him.

"What do you want Granger?" He asked with a roll of his eyes. Oh look, there was the guy she knew.

"I wanted to ask you something." He just looked at her expectantly. "About the war."

"You're not going to go blubbering all over me again, are you?" He raised an eyebrow mockingly.

Hermione wanted to punch him, just for that.

"Shut up, Malfoy." She folded her arms and leant back in her chair, clearly annoyed with him. "I just wanted to know, what was your role in the war? You were on our side in the end, right?"

Draco suddenly became extremely quiet. Like, quieter than just not saying anything. When Hermione realized what his silence meant, her face made him close his eyes. She couldn't believe he was on Voldemort's side. She knew his parents were strong followers of the Dark Lord but how did Draco not realise that it was utterly wrong?

"You're kidding me, right?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"I wish I was," he replied quietly. It was so soft she almost didn't hear him over her internal rage. Unfortunately, that anger didn't stay very internal. She stood up abruptly.

"It's because our side had _mudbloods_ , isn't it?" She spat that word out so viciously, so angrily, that she was surprised when Draco didn't sink further into his seat. Instead, he got up as well.

"No, it's not because of mudbloods. I don't give a shit about your blood, or anyone's, for that matter. The reason I was on _his_ side was because of my family. I don't think you know what it's like to be pressured your whole life into thinking a certain thing, even when you know deep down that it's so completely _wrong_." Draco took a deep, shaky breath after letting it all out. "I was _terrified_ of being different, of being the black sheep of the Malfoy family. It was bad enough that my parents hated people who weren't pure-bloods, but if I ended up being a traitor to them and what they believed in, I have no doubts that they would've  me. Do you know what that feels like? To feel mortally threatened by your own family?"

Hermione was silent. She was speechless. No words could come out. She could barely think a coherent thought. Malfoy was telling her the absolute truth, she knew that, and god, it really shocked her, the truth. She didn't know what it was like, what he described. She couldn't possibly imagine her parents doing anything even remotely close to that. She sat back in her chair, absolutely stunned.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"I don't want your pity," he spat back. He left before she could tell him it wasn't pity, that she really meant it.

Hermione felt empty inside for the rest of the day.


	7. Chapter 6

Things don't always turn out the way you want them to, but sometimes you just have to put up with it. There's nothing you can do, so you just sit there and take it. That's exactly how Hermione felt that morning. 

She had woken up earlier than usual on her day off, due to something tapping incessantly on her window. She opened it to find a sand-coloured tawny owl. It had a newspaper in its beak, which it dropped on her dresser once it had flown inside. Hermione was confused, how did this owl find her, and why did it bring her The Daily Prophet? She certainly hadn't subscribed to it. She picked up the paper, finding a little note written in the margin of the first page. 

**'Everything you need to know. -DM'**

DM? No, it couldn't be... Malfoy? Why on earth would he send her the newspaper? She checked the date, to see if it was recent. 5th May, 1998, it read. Her heart almost stopped as she held her breath. That was only three days after the end of the Second Wizarding War. Only three days after Voldemort died. She knew the information in the paper would make her cry, but she would read it anyway.

Hermione suddenly heard a small hoot from behind her. Turning, she found the little owl. It was waiting for a treat for bringing her the paper.

"I don't have anything for you," she told it. The owl tilted its head to the side, staring at her and hooting again. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't expected you. I don't have anything!" If birds could roll their eyes, Hermione had no doubt that this one would've. It flew off its perch on her dresser and started to fly out the window. "Wait!" She called, and the owl stopped, instead sitting on her window sill and looking at her expectantly. 

She quickly found a notebook in one of her drawers and started to scribble down a note. It had been a long time since she sent anything by owl, but she had done it for years at Hogwarts so it came naturally to her. The sight of an owl in her bedroom didn't even faze her. She walked over to the bird and tied the little note to its leg, gave it a little stroke on the head and another apology before it flew off for good. Hermione sighed, unbelieving that she had just send a note back to Draco Malfoy, telling him to meet her at an address that just so happened to be her apartment. Why she did that, she had no damn clue. Hopefully he gave her enough tie to actually read the paper before she read it.

Hermione sat on her bed, legs crossed and everything, staring at the newspaper in her lap. The front page's headline, **'THE DARK LORD DEFEATED'** was so big it filled up most of the page. There was a small beginning of an article in the corner. She read it quickly, but it didn't have much information. It basically just summed up the fact that Voldemort was dead, and Harry Potter killed him. She smiled at the sight of her best friend's name. She missed him. 

She flipped through the pages, trying to find something that would tell her about things she didn't already know. Finally, she found one. **'DEATH EATERS UNVEILED'**.

_'Voldemort, now defeated, left many of his Death Eaters behind in the mortal world. These witches and wizards, who have now been identified, are awaiting trials for their crimes. Some have already been sent to Azkaban without trial, as their crimes were undeniably horrifying, and did not deserve an appeal. Many people have been killed, Death Eaters included, such as Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy and Yaxley. Some have been pardoned, such as the Malfoy family, but many are still to face trials at Azkaban.'_

Wait, what? Draco's father died in the war? Hermione felt awful. All those days he came into the café, and she had no idea that his _father_ died. She couldn't believe how ignorant she must've been. She cried over her friends, while he had lost his family. There was no other way to describe the way she felt besides _absolutely terrible_. She read on, thinking she might as well get it all over with instead of feeling this bad again some other time.

 **'WEASLEYS DISTRAUGHT'**

_Oh God_ , she thought. _This is it._

Hermione read through the article that talked about one of her favourite Wizarding familes, the Weasleys. Ron was her best friend, besides Harry, throughout her time at Hogwarts, they'd known each other since they were eleven. She even began to crush on him during fourth year, but she didn't want to think about that.

_'Arthur Weasley, a Minister of Magic, and his wife Molly, have lost not one, but three of their children due to the war with the Dark Lord Voldemort. This family, formerly of nine, have lost three of their youngest children. Ginevra, the youngest at 17, Ronald at 18, and Fred at 20, have lost their lives tragically at the fault of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.'_

The paper flew across the room. Hermione couldn't bring herself to read anymore. Tears were spilling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. She wiped at her face with the sleeves of her sweater, but there was really no point. Her crying didn't stop for ten minutes, until the doorbell suddenly rang. She looked up from her hands, sitting there quietly, straining her ears. Did she imagine the bell? No, she didn't think so. She quickly splashed her face with water from the kitchen sink before going to open the front door. As soon as she did, she felt like closing it immediately. Malfoy was standing there, with the note she had written in his hand and a raised eyebrow. 

"Go away," Hermione sniffed. She wasn't in the mood to entertain guests at the moment. Especially not him. She tried to close the door, but he jammed his foot in front of the frame. 

"You called me here," he scoffed. He looked at her with a sneer, before realising that she looked like crap. "Were you crying?" He asked in a softer tone, but Hermione was oblivious to the change in his voice. 

"None of your business," she spat back at him. She tried to kick his foot out from the door but it wouldn't budge. Instead, he pressed his hands to the door and pushed it open. He was way stronger than her, so her efforts to keep the door shut came to no avail. She stepped back to avoid being hit, crossing her arms in front of her. "What are you doing?"

Draco walked in and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, steering her over to the couch in the small living room. She was confused, not understanding why he wasn't making fun of her. Maybe he really had changed since the war. He sat her down then reached over for the small blanket folded up in the corner before opening it up and covering her with it. She wasn't exactly cold, but she was grateful for the extra comfort. 

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, tears threatening to spill again. Malfoy had seen her cry more times than she'd like to admit. 

He looked at her, eyebrows all scrunched up in confusion. "For what?"

"For your dad." She didn't look at him when she said that. He had told her that his childhood was pretty bad, but that didn't mean he didn't love his father and that he wasn't upset about his death, even if it had been a few years.

"Oh." Draco rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "Thanks, I guess."

"I read most of that newspaper you sent," Hermione told him, looking up at his face. She was surprised that she didn't really feel odd having Malfoy in her living room.

"Oh." Neither of them knew what to say. "Hey, I was just wondering, you don't have to answer or anything, but why are you in the Muggle world? I mean, I know you just kinda disappeared, but why?" Malfoy asked her so _nicely_ it was weird. She had never told anyone, never even admitted it out loud to herself.

"I don't think--" A continuous buzz cut her off. She inwardly let out a sigh of relief. She didn't really want to tell him what happened, she'd probably never be ready to. She pulled out her cellphone, seeing that she had one missed call and a text, both from Kira. The text asked her if she was meeting with her or not.

Hermione cursed under her breath. "I'm late to meet Kira," she told Malfoy. She didn't know why she did, it's not like he needed to know. From one quick glance at his face, it almost looked to her as if he was kind of upset that she had to go. "You could come with me," she suggested. She didn't know why she did that, either. What would Kira think, bringing Malfoy along?

"Sure," he said nonchalantly with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Why not? Could be fun." He gave her a grin.

Oh god, she was really getting herself into a mess with Malfoy, wasn't she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I'm not really going off the true events of the book, as Ginny and Ron didn't die, and neither did Lucius, but this is my story so whatever. They're dead in this, okay? Now that that's settled, thanks for reading!! :-)


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